Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) chief operating officer Afzar Zakariya said the ES service has received an encouraging response with an average of 800 to 1,000 passengers per day for six daily services comprising three outward and three return journeys. — Bernama pic
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Tuesday, 30 Dec 2025 2:43 PM MYT
JOHOR BAHRU, Dec 30 — The Southern Express (ES) train service, which will be terminated on Jan 1, has played an important role in facilitating the daily activities and movements of residents in southern Johor and the Iskandar region, recording 2.6 million passengers since its introduction in 2016.
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) chief operating officer Afzar Zakariya said the ES service has received an encouraging response with an average of 800 to 1,000 passengers per day for six daily services comprising three outward and three return journeys.
“The ES has made a big impact because it connects large and medium-sized towns on the southern route such as Segamat, Kluang, Labis, Kulai and Johor Bahru.
It provides consistent and affordable mobility access, especially for students, daily wage workers, senior citizens and families who rely on the train as their main means of transport,” he told Bernama.
Afzar said indirectly, the service has contributed to economic development along the southern line as users utilise the train for work-related, economic and tourism-related movements.
According to him, the situation has boosted economic and tourism activities in the cities involved, including increased demand in the hospitality sector, public transport, small businesses and the growth of new tourism destinations and activities.
Yesterday, KTMB announced that the operation of the Southern Express train service on the Gemas – JB Sentral – Gemas route will be terminated effective January 1 after nine years of operation.
This termination is part of the coordination of planning and optimisation of passenger service operations on the southern line, in line with the progress and readiness of the infrastructure of the Gemas – Johor Bahru Electric Double Track Project
He said, ES, formerly known as the Southern Shuttle, which travels from Gemas to Woodlands with train numbers 61 and 62, has also provided direct access to Johor Bahru as well as continuity to other train services to the northern part of Peninsular Malaysia.
He said the train service also helped smooth traffic flow by providing residents with an alternative to using the road, especially during congestion on the main highways connecting to and from Johor Bahru.
“For Johor Bahru and the Iskandar region, ES reduces dependence on highway traffic and provides a more comfortable, fast and reliable travel option for those commuting between Johor Bahru, Kluang, Segamat and the central Peninsula,” he said.
He said in ensuring a smooth transition of passengers between the ES and ETS3 services, KTMB had coordinated the existing service schedule in line with the implementation of the ETS service extension from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru which began this month.
The coordination, he said, was aimed at ensuring the continuity of train services for passengers from Johor to the northern, central and eastern routes of the Peninsular, thus facilitating the movement of users using the ETS service.
He said from next year, KTMB will provide 12 ETS services to and from Johor, including eight services between KL Sentral and JB Sentral, two services on the JB Sentral–Butterworth–JB Sentral route and two services on the JB Sentral–Padang Besar–JB Sentral route.
According to him, the addition of the service will not only meet the travel needs of local residents in and out of Johor, but will also benefit the tourism sector.
He said this includes tourists from Singapore and international tourists who transit at Singapore’s Changi Airport for a short stopover in Malaysia using the ETS service to Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth or Padang Besar. — Bernama